PET/CT scans and blood tests to guide immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and focused radiation for metastatic lung cancer
Official title: Biomarkers of Response to Immuno-chemotherapy & oliGometastatic Hypofractionated radioTherapy (BRIGHT) for Lung Cancer: Synergy of PET/CT Imaging and Peripheral Blood Assays
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11237966 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project combines PET/CT imaging and blood immune tests to help identify which people with metastatic non‑small cell lung cancer will benefit from immunotherapy plus chemotherapy and targeted radiation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | December 20, 2021 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $379,304 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA258997-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11237966 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with newly diagnosed metastatic non‑small cell lung cancer who are starting standard-of-care immunotherapy plus chemotherapy and who can have PET/CT scans and blood tests, especially those with a limited number of metastases.
✕Less likely to help
People with small‑cell lung cancer, early-stage disease, widespread metastases not eligible for focused radiation, or those unable to travel for serial scans and blood draws are unlikely to benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You would get PET/CT scans and regular blood draws before and during standard immunotherapy plus chemotherapy so doctors can track tumor activity and immune signals. The research team will combine imaging measures of macroscopic tumor burden with circulating immune biomarkers to look for early signs of response or hidden systemic disease. For patients with only a few metastatic spots, investigators will study whether adding focused, higher‑dose radiation to those sites improves control. The overall aim is to tailor treatment so radiation is given when likely to help and avoided when it would only add toxicity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help doctors personalize treatment so more patients get effective combinations of immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted radiation while reducing unnecessary side effects.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies show PET imaging and blood immune markers can give useful clues about treatment response, but using both together to guide addition of focused radiation in oligometastatic NSCLC is a relatively new and still-developing approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bowen, Stephen R. — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Bowen, Stephen R.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Investigating how imaging and blood tests can predict responses to lung cancer treatments
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Stopping chemotherapy from weakening immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer
This project looks at whether common chemotherapy makes lung tumors release substances that turn off immune cells and whether blocking that process could help immunotherapy work better for people with non-small cell lung cancer.
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Improving PET/CT imaging for lung cancer immunotherapy
This project builds better PET/CT imaging methods and a shared online resource to help immunotherapy for people with non-small cell lung cancer.
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Improving lung cancer radiation treatment with AI
This work aims to make radiation treatment for lung cancer safer and more effective by using new artificial intelligence tools.
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Using AI to improve radiation therapy for lung cancer
This study is looking at how to use artificial intelligence to make better images for radiation therapy in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, so that doctors can more accurately target the treatment as the tumor changes, which could lead to better results for you.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.